Strong of Heart
by theonlyliverpoolninja
Summary: A very old man is sent to save a world. Shame he got there early and forgot all about it but with a caring family by his side he should still be able to make a difference. If he can remember what to do...and if his sisters will let him.
1. Goodbye Big Brother

Strong of heart

CH.1 Goodbye Big Brother

Henri rolled the ball at his twin while she was distracted by a notation on her sheet music, timing was everything and if he could get it just right…

No, it bounced off her heel and failed to role under the peddle, slowly it's momentum rolled it back in his direction and settled into his hand. He'd try again in a moment when she was suitably distracted again. If not for a huge shadow that fell from the door over his sister all the way to his hiding place behind the pot-plant.

"MY GLORIOUS SISTER, MY ROGUEISH BROTHER I HAVE NEWS, COME QUICKLY LITTLE ONES THERE ISNT A MOMENT TO LOSE" A pair of huge hands descended from the shadow and pitched him aloft. Head spinning from shouting, sudden changes in position and a horrible rhyming couplet it took himself several seconds to recognise that he was being borne along towards his big brothers room under the arm of said man while his sister perched opposite him on the man's shoulder.

Upon reaching said room he threw them unceremoniously onto his massive bed with Henri's sister landing perfectly lady like precisely on the edge. Henri's belly flop was both ugly and simultaneously so perfectly done that awards should have been given. Hauling himself to a similar position as his sister he saw his brother throwing many objects from all over his room into his huge trunk with excellent precision. Many where copies of the clothes he wore, a few books, firearm in a holster and the world's smallest hairbrush. Finishing with the trunk he called for the servant's to remove it, before turning to his siblings,

"My dear sister and brother I'm going to be away for some time for our county calls and I must answer, but I have something for each of you before I leave, for you my beautiful sister these" he handed her a tiny box in which lay a pair of diamond studs. "They come with a promise from mother that you can have your ears pierced this month rather than on your seventeenth, be wearing them when I return" he said with a small smile and a tear beading on his eyelashes.

"And for you brother." Henri lost all the air in his lungs when a huge book slammed into his stomach. His eyes flashed across the title.

A GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS TO THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE ALCHEMICAL ARTS

If the wording of the title was anything to go by it would be a hard slog to read and by the weight and thickness a harder slog to carry anywhere.

"If you can prove to me that you understand all of the thousand pages by my return, AND do your daily exercises, AND stop trying to prank everyone in the house… I will show you my personal research notes when I return. I think that would be an equivalent exchange." An uncharacteristic smirk on his handsome features. Henri, who's jaw had dropped open at his brother helping him take his first steps in alchemy (something that the family was founded partly on), could only enthusiastically nod.

"EXCELENT NOW I MUST SEE FARTHER AND MOTHER BEFORE MY DEPARTURE" with that he strode from the room leaving his kin in a dazed and joyous state in his room.

The fact that their brother was leaving barely entered the pairs mind.

Until they were standing on the steps with their Parents and two of their older sisters, watching the car take their shiny headed brother to a war far from them. Catherine cried openly and held her twins hand in a bone crushing grip, Henri refused to let his tears come as his brother ,still visible in the back window of the motorcar, gradually disappeared over the rise.

Henri watched and hoped as Alex Louis Armstrong headed for war.


	2. All Wars Must End

Strong of heart

CH.2 All wars must end

Henri was dwarfed by the huge leather seat in which he sat; his legs didn't even reach the end of the seat, farther and grand-papa where in identical seats eater side of him drinking brandy and in the case of his grand-papa doing a small sketch of the roaring fireplace. His alchemical text book weighed heavily on his knee filled with scraps of paper and basic attempts at transmutation circles.

It was ten in the evening by the time the last two members of the meeting arrived, the first figure easily recognisable by his huge figure and tiny blond curl, the other was dark skinned and though shorter than his big brother was equably muscular under his well pressed military uniform and boasted an impressive number of campaign ribbons and a substantially more impressive moustache. His farther stood to greet his son with a hug and the officer with a shake of the hand as Alex began introductions.

"Sir this is my grand-farther Lord Alexander Hugeus Armstrong, my farther former General Philip Gargantos Armstrong and my younger brother Henri Philip Armstrong. Family may I present Brigadier General Basque Grand"

The Adults began to discuss the recent war and his big brothers involvement in it, Henri found it difficult to follow most of the conversation as with a trio being military trained and a slightly different three where highly trained alchemists a lot of acronyms, alchemic shortcuts, troop manoeuvres that whistled as they soared over his young head. From what he could understand his brother had suffered some kind of emotional problem that had stopped him performing his duty as such now that battle was won he had been given two months leave to emotionally recover. Apparently Brigadier Grand was here to help his recovery and report if he could be returned to service, as his recent promotion allowed him a greater freedom of selection in his assignments he had rode over some younger solders to help a soldier he had personally mentored for several years, so it was decided to put the pair in adjoining rooms next to the manors gym as both would be up and training from early in the morning.

As the fire dwindled and Henri struggled to stay awake his reason for being there became apparent when his grand-papa asked for somthing from Alex, the somber atmosphere in the room became almost cloying at this point as alex reached into his uniforms neck line and withdrew a chain with a small object attached, Lord Armstrong took the chain and snapping it removed the gold attachment. Turning to his grandson he beckoned him from his armchair to stand infront him. From here he could see the steel in those blue eyes and how his frame though well built wasn't what it was in the photos in his farther's study.

"Henri this is for you" His Grand-papa placed a gold ring in his left hand. "It is for your eldest son and his son" The eldest Armstrong motioned to his son who took a thick gold band from his ring finger and passed it too his parent. "This one however is yours until your father should decide otherwise, tell no one this must be a secret until your papa tells you otherwise, no one includes your twin. For all must think your brother is to inherit." He placed the ring on the chain and with a tiny alchemy array on the underside of his ring fused the chain closed.

He placed the chain around his grandson's neck and turned to his son and took a ring from his own hand and placed it on his sons ring finger.

Henri was struck dumb his alchemy text hit the floor with a thump as it fell and spilled its notes.

He was now the first in line for the Lordship of the House of Armstrong.

A.N. What do you think so far?

Eric "RUBBISH"


	3. Run Rabbit

Strong of heart

CH.3 Run Rabbit

Sweat ran down Henri's panting face as his big sisters chased him around the gym for another lap, his p.e. kit was sweat stained and his plimsolls where starting to peel at the toe's, blond hair plastered down except for a single blond curl. Strongine wasn't far behind him swinging one of the family claymores trying to slap him with the flat of the blade every time he slowed, and Amue kept dropping things for him to manoeuvre around on his next lap. In the centre of the room was the boxing ring in which his brother was boxing with the Brigadier, there swings where fast and vicious and had anyone bar the two alchemists been fighting there probably be a very long trip to the hospital in there near future.

WHAP

Henri screamed and ran even faster as the stinging pain of the claymore burned through his buttocks, he dodged around the punch bag and over the vaulting horse and over the finish line. He collapsed onto the wrestling mat and tried desperately not to the throw up. Strongine took her sword back to the suit of armour it belonged to while Amune cleared the objects she's hauled onto the running track, according to his big brother they were going harder on him then he had on them, his twin however was on the other side of the gym bench pressing with the help of mother. As farther had said where Catherine was strong like Alex, Henri was fast like Olivier. He grimaced at the thought of his oldest sister, he had only met her the once when she had returned home for the funeral of grand-mama, she'd scared him with her cold attitude and her refusal to wear anything bar her uniform with her sword at all times. She was supposed to be returning for father's appointment party, she wanted to succeed there papa and made no jokes about what she would do to get her hands on the peerage, Henri quite fancied her chances as she was apparently vicious. She had recently been sent to the north and he'd heard that those who went there came back harder or not at all, the only thing in his favour was that she didn't know grand-papa had made him heir over Alex.

Thinking about his brother he glanced over to the ring where the fighters where warming down. Both of them where glistening and Alex was smiling in a way he hadn't seen since he had left for the war, Brigadier grand's smile was almost as wide he saw the young Armstrong watching and beckoned him over.

"So young man do you know how to box" Henri nodded, his brother had spent a few hours teaching him. "Well then Mr Armstrong get in here and let's go a round"

Henri striped his shirt while his brother brought him his gloves, the brigadier spent his time in the corner drinking from a large clear bottle while all the women gathered on the side too watch the thirteen year old take on a combat specialised alchemist.

It started well for Henri his dodges where quick but he could tell the man was going very easy on him but as the moustachioed soldier got more and more frustrated his swings got quicker and harder. A few of Henri's strikes connected but failed to make even the smallest of impacts, finally one of the brigadiers punches to the stomach connected throwing him to the ground and winding him, laying there with his family applauding him. It had taken the more experienced man a full two minutes to strike the young trainee.

"Your very quick Mr Armstrong" he growled hauling the younger man to his feet. "Even than your brother, but your strikes have no strength behind them. Id recommend some kind of ranged alchemy for you as your ill suited to direct combat."

Henri thought over his words as he sat beside his mother and watched his twin almost bend the man in half on the wrestling pad. His twin was everything one expected of an Armstrong, graceful with a beauty that shone through everything she did, even when dislocating a mans arm.

He shouldn't let it get too him. Everyone in his family was strong except him.

Well his eldest sister wasn't as strong as some but she was utterly ruthless and cunning.

Even mother was so charming it could stop a fight in its tracks.

So if he couldn't be strong, or cunning, or ruthless, or beautiful, or charming. What could he be.

Fast.

He was going to be very very fast.


	4. Mishaps

Strong of Heart

CH.4 Mishaps

Henri despaired at his latest failure. The garden path was a mess, his boots where shredded and his feet where bleeding. And he was still so slow.

Reaching for tectonic energy to power an array took time and the reaction was too slow, he'd tried modifying the ground to push him, he'd tried using the boots to give a short sharp flex of the leather sole but this only led to him being thrown from his feet and not moving anywhere except from the vertical to the horizontal.

He needed to move faster so he needed to transmute something with a less ridged structure. if all he'd had to do was walk on water this would be infinitely easier. Moving a solid to a liquid was far harder than the other way around, but gasses where very difficult to coalesce into any kind of useful mix. his brother had mentioned some military member who could conjure fire with a snap of his fingers, but to achieve something like that would take training to mix the oxygen and hydrogen at a moment's notice and ignite it before it could dissipate would take a fantastic amount of training and an alchemical understanding he wouldn't possess for many years.

But maybe the answer wasn't in trying to force a solid, or flow a liquid. Air was the answer air was far thicker then anyone could imagine. Elements didn't just hang piece meal, he was swimming in a sea of elements, but with no bonds they where light. but this didn't help as he needed to use the air around him to increase his speed, so where was air at its fastest. he looked at the torn path ripped to shreds like one of the infermus eastern desert hurricanes had passed through.

A CYCLONE

huge amounts of negative pressure that dragged the air around making the wind.

a point of negative pressure would drag him towards it, he couldn't mix air it was too far outside his skill range, but shoving all of them out of his way would create a bubble of negative pressure that would rather then push him, DRAG him towards his destination.

He bolted back towards the house, his brother had access to alchemical works. Surely they would have what he needed to create his first original circle. He slowed slightly, his brother since returning from the war had done everything to put him off the idea of alchemy, his stride quickened again. If his brother refused to help he would ask grand-papa or the brigadier and if they refused he'd do it himself, the soldiers comment about ranged alchemy stung still, if every Armstrong alchemist before him had been a combat specialist he wasn't going to be the first to let the family down. But tectonic energy wasn't fast enough to achieve his desired speed, Alex used the kinetic force of his punches to enhance his alchemy, if he could find a force other than the tectonics maybe he could use it instantly rather than drawing it up through the earth.

He needed his note book, and a long conversation with the alchemists in the house.

A.N.

Fear not the HP element of this story is coming soon.


	5. Knowledge is power

Strong of Heart

CH.5 Knowledge is power

Henri kept a tight hold of the silver watch and note that the brigadier had given him. Perhaps it would have been better to tell his valet Planchet to get him to the National central library in one piece rather than as fast as possible, barely older than himself Planchet had a style of driving at best described as reckless but more accurately as Dominicidal, Planchet was the nephew of his father's valet Servewel who had been told to assign the under-butler to Alex as part of the ruse that he was still the heir. Planchet had been looking to take the role of first footman if Henri hadn't needed a valet himself, the young servant had managed to find himself as the person closest to the heir of the household and didn't even know it. He was going to be very powerful among the servants one day if he didn't kill his charge before then.

A squeal of rubber and henri's thoughts where interrupted by being thrown bodily to the floor by the deceleration. By the time he'd got his bearing's Planchet was standing by the open door.

"National central library, in record time if I might say so sir" The huge grin on the teenagers face at his automotive prowess started to slip as he noticed his employers glare.

"Next time Planchet I expect to still be seated when I arrive and not in such a state, if anyone saw an Armstrong rolling on the floor of their car what would they say" he took his valets proffered hand and exited the car.

"Sorry sir I'll be more careful next time." The pair began the walk from the kerb to the stairs at the front of the library, a pair of guards stood at the base of the stirs holding a rifle apiece and identical board expressions, the library held many sensitive records so there presence wasn't unexpected but henri had been expecting more given that many of the alchemical texts in the building in the wrong hands could untold amounts of damage. Their journey continued until they reached the main enquires desk. The old woman on the desk gave them a small smile.

"Can I help both you young men, if you're looking for the fiction section it's on the second floor?"

"No thank you madam" Henri placed the watch and note on the desk and watched the smile drop from her face. "I am here for this list of books" The little old woman slid her right hand off the top of the desk and under it. A moment later four soldiers emerged from a side room with weapons drawn

/

Henri walked down the steps of the library a full four hours later after a rigorous bout of questioning and a phone call to the brigadier that the library staff finally accepted that he hadn't stolen the watch, Planchet carried a small wooden crate with all the requested books, arriving at the car Henri took a book from the top of the pile.

A Trysteese on Weather patterns and there affects on the flight of birds.

It was ridiculous the level some alchemists would go to encode their works, checking the stamp inside it had been almost fifty years since this work had been archived. Why was no-one interested in atmospheric alchemy? Such a powerful branch of alchemy was stagnating because of the skill and power necessary where so high.

First thing was to get home and decode these works.

"Home Planchet. Fast as you can"

A moment later he slammed back in his seat, book tumbling from his hand.

"PLAAAAAAAAANCHEEEEET"


End file.
